Chapter 21 Is He a Devil or What?

Author: Xiao Yifeng

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

"Treasure!!"

That word alone sparked a fire in Nami's heart, and thanks to her treasure-sensing superpowers (well, not really), Buggy's humble abode faced another, let's say, "unauthorized borrowing" session.

Nami, hauling a sack swollen with over 6 million Bellys, almost gave poor Buggy—just waking up—a reason to slip back into dreamland. But just as she was mentally spending her riches, Bai Ye's naughty hand made its move.

"Miss Nami, you've been a gem, really. So, as a token of our... gratitude for your, uh, 'efforts'..." Bai Ye teased, pausing for effect as Nami's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He dove into the sack, rummaged around, and declared, "Here's 10,000 Bellys, just for you. Call it a... service fee."

Handing over a measly 10,000 Bellys, he almost felt Nami's teeth chomping at him. Her inner Thieving Cat was not just offended—it was downright outraged. Including the loot from the ship, the total money from Buggy's crew had ballooned to a cool 10 million Bellys!

With that kind of cash, plus her personal stash, she could easily save her village from its hefty 100-million-Belly burden. But deep down, Nami knew she'd never have laid hands on this treasure without Bai Ye and the gang.

"What, not enough Bellys for you, Miss Nami?" Bai Ye jested, seeing her eyes turn into dollar signs. "I didn't know you were so modest, considering you didn't throw a single punch or collect intelligence. Want me to take it back?"

He feigned a motion to retrieve the cash, triggering Nami's inner beast mode.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" she snapped, a low growl escaping her lips.

She thought to herself, "Seriously, hesitating over 10,000 Bellys? This Bai Ye guy must be a devil."

Bai Ye just laughed, thoroughly entertained by her fiery spirit. "Nami, why not join us? As our navigator, you'd get a slice of every treasure" he suggested, seizing the moment.

"As if!" Nami huffed, rolling her eyes. "I've told you before, pirates are at the top of my 'ugh' list."

"But we're not your typical 'argh-me-mateys,' right?" Bai Ye cut in, earnestness in his tone. "The sea's vast, and not all pirates are the villains."

He locked eyes with her, adding, "Someone who's seen the navy's dark side should get it, don't you think?"

Nami felt a shiver. It was as if Bai Ye knew... but no, that couldn't be. He must be referring to the shenanigans she'd witnessed in Shells Town.

"Anyway," Bai Ye interjected before she could retort, lifting his hefty loot sack, "Luffy's already decided to donate half of our Buggy treasure to the town's reconstruction fund."

Despite herself, Nami felt a spark of... respect? Perhaps these pirates were a different breed.

Bai Ye wasn't bluffing. In the tale as told, Luffy did precisely that, although his casual attitude towards cash often left the crew nearly penniless despite their victories. But this time, Bai Ye was determined to keep the financial ship afloat, planning to squeeze every Belly out of their conquests—starting with Buggy's handsome 15-million-Belly bounty.

The following days were a blur of celebrations, as the town threw a never-ending feast for the Straw Hats. In the meantime, Bai Ye coordinated with the 153rd Navy Branch to lock up the Buggy Pirates and claim their sweet, sweet bounty reward.

In the original tale, Luffy gets captured by a top-notch navy captain in Loguetown, alongside Buggy and Alvida, all queued up for a execution. But in our story, Bai Ye swoops in, delivering everyone (except our bouncy Luffy, naturally) into the navy's hands.  This move beefed up the Straw Hats' coffers significantly, with the total treasure hoard now sitting pretty at a whopping 30 million Bellys.

And if Bai Ye had his way, Nami's near 100-million-Belly fortune would soon join their treasure chest. He wouldn't let any greedy Navy officials, like a certain Colonel Nezumi, get their grubby hands on it. The Straw Hats' riches would skyrocket, and Bai Ye? He was practically bemused at the thought.

If Nami could peek into Bai Ye's ambitious plans, she'd surely exclaim, "Are you some kind of devilish mastermind?!?!"

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A couple days later, down at Orange Town's docks, Mayor Boodle and the little puppy Chouchou, Chouchou, led the people to the pier.

Eyes glued to the pirate ship drifting away, they gave a deep, heartfelt bow. "Bon voyage! Straw hat boy and crew!!!!"

  -----

"Whew, what a ride! Check out this map of the Grand Line!" Luffy, perched at the boat's front, marveled at the chart Bai Ye had spread before them, a twinkle in his eyes.

"This has gotta be the real deal. None of the East Blue maps have these routes," Nami chimed in, her navigator's heart recognizing the truth in the lines and marks.

"Sweet! So we can enter Grand Line with this, huh?" A thrilled Luffy clapped his hands, grinning ear to ear.

"You know, it's good time we got ourselves a proper pirate ship," Zoro tossed in his two cents, nonchalant but keen on the idea since, well, they were pirates after all.

"Exactly!! What's a pirate crew without a ship to call home?!" Luffy boomed, the most pirate-spirited of them all.

"Don't you worry, Luffy," Bai Ye said, turning with a sly, promising grin, "Our next stop? We've got a meet-up with someone who knows a thing or two about building ships."